[7]
You must not tell us that this has often been done before; you must show us
that it is right to do it. If the practice has at any time been contrary to the
laws and you have only followed precedent, you cannot in fairness escape, but
ought all the more to be convicted; for if any of the former delinquents had
been condemned, you would never have proposed the resolution, and in the same
way, if you are punished now, no one else will propose it in the future.
Demosthenes. Demosthenes with an English translation by A. T. Murray, Ph.D., LL.D. Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press; London, William Heinemann Ltd. 1939.
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